Study: Sitting for long hours increases risk of deadly illnesses

For most people, working in offices means sitting in front of a computer for hours on end. Even though it might look harmless, a recent study by the American Cancer Society claims there may be a life-threatening side to working long hours while sitting.

The study found that death risk for people who sit more than six hours a day is 19 percent higher than those who sit for less than three hours a day.

It added that sitting down for long hours can cause stroke, cancer, heart diseases, lung and liver complications, musculoskeletal disorders, Parkinson's and even Alzheimer's. It also pointed out that it increases the risk of suicide.

The team of scientists supervised by Alpa Patel studied the medical records of 128,000 male and female patients. Some 49,000 of the total participants who had no chronic diseases earlier but sit for more than six hours a day, died over the course of 21 years.

Patel said that sitting for too long increases the chance of getting cancer by 10 percent and the chance of getting musculoskeletal disorders by 60 percent.

"The less you sit the better," said Patel, adding that standing for two minutes after sitting for an hour has a positive effects on cholesterol and blood sugar levels as well as on blood pressure.